1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses for attaching and lifting devices and more specifically to methods and apparatuses for attaching and lifting a mower deck.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art to provide mower deck attachment and lifting systems whereby a mower deck can be attached to a lawn tractor and then lifted to the appropriate height for cutting grass or the like. Typically, the deck attachment mechanism forms a parallelogram so that the front and back of the mower deck can be lifted evenly. Such known mower deck attachment and lifting systems are adequate for their intended purpose. However, such known deck attachment and lifting systems have a problem.
The problem is related to the operator difficulty in attaching the mower deck to the tractor. Typically, the operator must carefully position the deck with respect to the attachment mechanism and then insert a number of quick connect pins or the like to hold the deck to the attachment mechanism. What is needed is an easy method to attach the deck to the tractor.
The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for simplifying the attachment of a deck to a tractor while still maintaining the attachment mechanism in the desired parallelogram. The difficulties inherit in the art are therefore overcome in a way that is simple and efficient, while providing better and more advantageous results.